1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery cover for covering a battery mounted on a vehicle, for example, a hybrid car capable of traveling by powers of both of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, an electric car, etc.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-155236, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, hybrid cars (capable of traveling by powers of both of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor) and electric cars have been used since such cars are gentle for the environment, and a high-voltage/high-output power source has now been required for such cars so that the car can travel smoothly.
In order to achieve a high-voltage/high-output power source, for example, a power source device 101 (see FIG. 4) comprising relatively-small batteries serially connected together may be considered.
The battery device 101, shown in FIG. 4, comprises the plurality of small batteries 103, a plurality of bus bars 104, a casing 105, and an electrode cover 106. Each of the small batteries 103 has a positive electrode 107 provided at one end thereof, whereas a negative electrode 108 is provided at the other end thereof. The small batteries 103 are stacked together in such a manner that the positive electrodes 107 are disposed in adjoining relation to the corresponding negative electrodes 108, respectively. Any two adjacent small batteries 103 are disposed such that the positive electrode 107 of one of the two batteries 103 is juxtaposed to the negative electrode 108 of the other battery 103 while the negative electrode 108 of the one battery 103 is juxtaposed to the positive electrode 107 of the other battery 103. Namely, the plurality of small batteries 103 are stacked together in such a manner that the positive electrodes 107, as well as the negative electrodes 108, are alternately reversely directed.
The bus bars 104 are made of electrically-conductive metal, and have a strip-like shape. The bus bars 104 are embedded in the casing 105, and when the casing 105 covers the end portions of the small batteries 103, the bus bar 104 electrically connects the adjacent positive and negative electrodes 107 and 108 together. The casing 105 covers the end portions of the stacked small batteries 103. The electrode cover 106 is made of an insulative synthetic resin or the like, and is attached to the casing 105. When the electrode cover 106 is attached to the casing 105, this cover 106 covers the electrodes 107 and 108 and the bus bars 104.
In an assembled condition of the power source device 101, when connecting at least one of the electrodes 107 and 108, for example, to an electric motor or the ground (earth), it was necessary to once remove the electrode cover 106 from the casing 105. Therefore, there was a fear that dust, dirt, moisture and others in the ambient atmosphere would deposit on the electrodes 107 and 108, and in the worst case, the electrodes 107 and 108 could be short-circuited.
Therefore, care must be taken to prevent dust, dirt, moisture and others from depositing on the electrodes 107 and 108 during the operation in which the electrode was connected to the external device such as an electric motor and the ground. Therefore, there was a fear that the efficiency of the operation was lowered. Also in the maintenance operation of the power source device 101, the electric cover 106 was removed to expose many electrodes 107 and 108, and therefore there was a fear that the efficiency of the operation was lowered.